Most supermarket seafood departments capitalize on Super Bowl weekend with sales and special events, but most retailers are not as well-positioned to take advantage of the big football game as Rouses, based in Thibodaux, La.
The 35-store chain, which has several locations in and around New Orleans, is capitalizing on the New Orleans Saints' first trip to the Super Bowl. They play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
As Louisiana natives and others converge on the city to celebrate and tailgate before the game, Rouses is significantly discounting Gulf shrimp, Lake Ponchartrain blue crabs and Louisiana crawfish tail meat.
In addition, Rouses is sponsoring blue crab boils in its store and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. This week, "Entertainment Tonight" showcased Rouses' crab boil that took place in the popular tourist corridor, as part of several other events celebrating the hometown team.
"This is the first time this city has ever gone to Super Bowl. With that, and with Mardis Gras [starting 17 February], it is going to be a non-stop party for the month of February," said James Breuhl, seafood category manager for Rouses.
Already, Saints fans have been tailgating throughout the season and the playoffs, boosting Rouses' overall store sales around 25 percent over the past two or three months, according to Breuhl.
Meanwhile, starting Friday, Rouses is advertising boiled Lake Ponchartrain blue crabs on special for USD 2.99 a pound for the weekend. "We will probably go through 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of crab," said Breuhl.
In addition, Rouses is promoting a "bigger and better" Louisiana shrimp, 10/15s with head-on for USD 3.98 per pound during the week leading up to Super Bowl.
"Any time we have a shrimp sale like that our customers go crazy. We buy trailer loads at a time," said Breuhl. In fact, Rouses has gone through 14 truckloads of shrimp since November, because local fans were out tailgating and boiling shrimp, said Breuhl.
Wild crawfish, a popular item for seafood boils and tailgating, is in short supply because of recent cold weather along the Gulf Coast. Still, Rouses was able to bring in some Louisiana crawfish tail meat, and is promoting it for USD 10.98 per pound.
February 7, 2010
Seafood sales soar in Saints' hometown
